


In Sickness

by Lastwaterbender



Category: Star Wars, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: Cara doesn’t feel well, Doctor Din, Engagement, F/M, Lets Have this conversation later., Sick Fic, Space Idiots In Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-03
Updated: 2020-10-03
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:48:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,998
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26799814
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lastwaterbender/pseuds/Lastwaterbender
Summary: The silence between them was usually comfortable, but this was different. When Din notices that she fell asleep in the co-pilots chair, her cheeks were bright red and sweat gathered on her forehead. Cara was sick.Din makes promises that he keeps.
Relationships: Cara Dune/The Mandalorian, Cara Dune/The Mandalorian (The Mandalorian TV), Din Djarin & Cara Dune
Comments: 9
Kudos: 86





	In Sickness

Their silence was usually comfortable, so Din wasn’t entirely sure when Cara had fallen asleep in the co-pilot’s chair. She was facing him with her cheek against the back of the seat, her face nearly hidden by the curtain of hair that had fallen in knotted waves down to her collar bone. The kid also dozed curled up in her arms, almost wedged between her chest and her tented legs, her feet gently resting against the edge of the console keeping her balanced in the chair. 

It made his breath catch looking at the two most important beings in the galaxy to him.

It had been a long day, dealing with thugs on a small backwater planet that had been a dead-end in the search for clues. And rain, heavy sheets of rain that had soaked even him through his Beskar to the bone. She did everything to keep the child dry while they ran back to the ship and in doing so was just as soaked as he was.

Instead of drying herself off, she set her things down on the floor at the top of the ramp and pulled the damp baby out of the backpack and proceeded to dry him off first, dressing him and placing him in the floating pram with a snack to munch on before she took care of herself. Din returned to the common area, dressed in his normal sleepwear and helmet. He picked up the child and took him up the ladder into the cockpit so that he could perform the pre-flight checks so they could get off this hellhole of a planet.

When Cara returned, she wore a thick sweater with a wide-open neck and her shoulder was bare, she wore tight pants and thick socks as she handed him a steaming mug of broth with a straw. She picked up the kid and sat in the co-pilot’s seat with her mug in one hand and the kid sitting on her lap supported by the other. “So where to next?” She asked.

He shook his head. “I don’t know.” He said somberly. “I guess we can head back to Navarro and resupply.”

Cara shrugged and tucked her legs underneath her, the child dozing against her. “I could go somewhere warm right now.” She said sleepily. 

That was over an hour ago, they fell into silence and at some point, she had fallen asleep. He glanced over to her and in the dim ambient light, her cheeks were flushed against her pale skin. Din turned the ship into autopilot and turned to look at her fully, sweat gathered at her brow.

He reached over and brushed the knotted hair off her forehead. Her skin was fevered hot and he frowned as his hand went to cup her cheek. “Cara?” He asked and she mumbled, leaning into the cool of his hand. 

Din got up and picked up the child from her lap and he too was soaked with sweat. He woke when he was jostled, smiling sleepily at him. He thanked whatever gods he could think of that he was just warm from sleeping on Cara and not sick. “Come on ad’ika, time for bed.” He turned his head to Cara and looked at her with sad eyes. “I know, she’ll be okay.”  
He opened and closed his hand a couple of times, reaching out for her. “I don’t think this is something you can fix, she just needs some rest.” He said, climbing down the ladder into the common area. He hoped that it wasn’t a lie. 

Din quickly changed the child’s clothes and then tucked him into the pram. It didn’t take long for him to fall asleep, for which Din was grateful, sometimes it took the little monster a couple of hours to finally fall asleep and to stop bothering him and Cara. 

The next stop was to the first aid kit where he kept some medicine to hopefully contain her fever and he hoped it would hold her over until they got to Navarro to see a doctor. He grabbed one of his water rations and trotted back up the ladder.

She hadn’t moved at all. “Cara.” He said softly, placing a hand on her arm. 

“Hmm?” She mumbled, but her eyes stayed closed. She looked like she was trying to force her eyelids open but couldn’t.

“I’ve got some medication for you to take.” He said, brushing her hair out of her face. He could tell that she wanted to refuse but didn’t have the energy to. She flipped her hand over for him to place the pills into her hand.

Her eyes finally opened, they were unfocused and watery. She slowly lifted her hand to pop the pill into her mouth and Din held the water pouch to help her drink from it. She downed the water in almost one go and then laid her head against the back of the chair again, looking sleepily at the Mandalorian. He ran his fingers through her hair as silence surrounded them again, his hand went to cup her warm cheek. 

“Do you think you can make it down the ladder?” He asked, her eyes closed at the cool touch of his hand. 

She took a deep breath. “I’m afraid if I stand up, I’ll throw up all over you.” She said honestly. 

It made him chuckle under his breath. “I’ll take my chances.” He said standing up and holding on to her so that she could unfold her legs. It was a slow movement as if her joints were stiff until her feet touched the floor. “On three?”

She nodded in agreement. “One.” She said and let out a breath she was holding. “Two.” Another few breaths as she fought back nausea. “Three.” He pulled her to her feet and immediately she swayed on her feet. He wrapped an arm around her to keep her on her feet.

“Think we can walk to the ladder?” He asked softly, to distract her from the nausea that she was feeling. 

Cara nodded and nearly fell when she took a step. Din held her tightly to keep her from falling to the floor. “The real trick is going down the ladder.” She slurred as she forced herself to remain conscious.

“If you don’t think I can’t get you down the ladder, you are sadly mistaken.” He teased gently as he pulled her against his chest, it wasn’t going to be pretty, but it was doable. 

She rested her hot forehead against his collarbone, he could feel the heat through his shirt, “That sounds like a threat.” It was light and teasing followed by a few deep breaths. “Or are you coming on to me?”

Din rolled his eyes. “You wish.” He quipped back as he wrapped her arms around his neck and carefully maneuvered them down the stairs.

Her eyes were closed even tighter. “Maybe I do, hang on a moment. . ..” holding him close for balance and to keep the vomit at bay. He held her tightly for a moment as he chuckled, he enjoyed her humor and it was nice to let loose, even if she was sick. 

“Let’s talk about this when you feel better.” He answered. 

“Promise?” She asked in a whisper, it sounded hopeful.

“I promise.” He answered with another brush of the hair off her face. “Think you can make it the rest of the way?” As if they had to walk through a desert to get to her bunk. 

She shook her head. “I’m going to throw up.” She warned and Din, with the fastest reflexes in the galaxy, grabbed the washbasin they used for the dishes off the table and held it under her mouth as she vomited. 

Din did his best to keep her on her feet as she heaved into the basin. When she finally stopped he took it and sat it on the table. “What is wrong with me?” She cried against him.

“Come on, let’s get you into bed.” He scooped her up in his arms and carried her the small distance to her small quarters, laying her gently on the bed. He made sure she was somewhat comfortable before heading back to the common area to clean up the vomit and returned with her toothbrush, some more water, a basin, and some washrags. She had rolled to her side burying her face into the pillow and groaned when she heard him come in. 

“Leave me here to die.” She moaned.

He shook his head, she did love the dramatics. “Let me help you sit up so you can brush your teeth.” He said, pulling her upright. She was slow and methodical as she brushed her teeth with water from a bottle, trying to fight the nausea. 

When she finished, he helped her lay back down and sat down on the edge of the cot next to her and placed a cool wet cloth on her forehead. She looked as if she was going to cry. “Thank you.” She whispered.

He smiled under his helmet and brushed his hand down her cheek. “Always.” He answered with a nod.

She closed her eyes and blinked away a tear. “I’ve just. . . I just haven’t had someone that cares about me enough to. . .” She rolled her eyes back and choked back a sob. “Gods, I’m getting delirious.” 

Din wiped the stray tear away. “I’m here now.” He said without laughing at her joke. Her eyes were heavy as she looked at him as if she didn’t believe him. “You’re not delirious, just emotional.” 

She wiped another set of tears from her eyes. “Yeah, yeah laugh it up, Mando.”

He could only shake his head at her. “Get some sleep.” He said softly, not moving from his spot until her eyes grew heavy and closed. Din took off the wet rag and sat it in the bucket of water. He hoped that he wouldn’t need it later and that she didn’t throw up the medication she took to break her fever. 

He wondered if he should stick around, just in case she needed him. He worried that she would be too damn proud to call for help should she need it. So he took his vigil to the foot of her cot, his back against the wall and her curled legs against his thighs. He could handle keeping watch over her tonight after all that she has done for him.

Taking a pad, he started planning a detour, he didn’t think she would make it to Navarro like this. The closest friendly planet was still an hour away at their current speed and he prayed that it would be enough. 

When Din had started to doze off and any little noise that she made startled him into consciousness. Her breathing started to grow deeper and a moan escaped her lips. He jumped to his feet and kneeled next to her face. “Cara?” He asked, placing a hand on her arm. 

She groaned again, folding in half and clutching her middle. “Talk to me, Cara.” Din coached softly. Cara shook her head and groaned into the pillow. 

Din lifted her shirt to see if he could tell what was causing her pain, nothing. Her breaths came out labored and she was drenched in sweat. “Hurts…” She mumbled through gritted teeth.

She held up her finger before reaching for the basin to throw up again. He moved to help her, grasping the basin to keep it under her mouth, and after a few minutes, she finally finished and he sat it on the floor, rubbing her back as she caught her breath. She was warmer than before. 

After a moment, he helped her lay back down, but she could only curl up in a ball and groan. His vembrace chirped, they were near the planet. “I need to go land the ship.” He said softly. “Will you be okay for a moment?” 

She held up her thumb in the affirmative with her face buried into her pillow. 

Din could only shake his head as he ran up to the cockpit. “Ground control to the unidentified ship, please respond.”

“This is the Razor Crest. . .” He said breathlessly. “Requesting permission to land, we’ve got a medical emergency on board.”

“Copy that.” Said the voice. “Dock on landing platform 7 and we will dispatch a medical team.” 

He closed his eyes for a moment to thank the gods before turning his focus to landing procedures. She was going to be okay, he told himself over and over again. Cara Dune didn’t survive drops into war zones, seemingly kicking his ass with a smile on her face and single-handedly trained a village to ward off invaders then take out an ATST with his favorite blaster rifle to succumb to an invisible assailant that was making her so sick. 

When the ship touched down onto the ground, he impatiently worked through the landing cycle forcing himself to focus, they couldn’t complete their mission if the ship broke down. 

The ship’s landing cycle finally finished, he trotted down the ladder to see Cara up on her feet in the middle room doubled over as she clung to the table. He rolled his eyes, seriously? “You shouldn’t be up.” He groused, moving to help her sit down on the bench. 

“I didn’t want you to get the impression that I am weak.” She groaned with a small smile. He knew she was joking, but it didn’t stop his second eye roll. “Go get your shoes on, I’ll live for a few minutes longer.”

Din scoffed as he disappeared into his room and quickly shoved his feet into his boots. When he returned, Cara had muscled the pram in front of her, getting the child ready to go. The child was still asleep for which he was grateful. He used the keypad on his wrist to close the lid because he couldn’t afford him getting out and getting lost while he was trying to help Cara. 

His attention turned to Cara. “Ready?” He asked as she forced herself to breathe deeply. 

“I’m probably going to pass out when I stand up.” She announced, her eyes unfocused.

“That’s okay, I’ll catch you.” He said as he helped her stand up. Her knees buckled and for a moment she blacked out.

He scooped her up in his arms and opened the hatch to exit. Sure enough, four men and a stretcher greeted him. Din walked down the gangway and he was swarmed by the men who motioned for him to lay her down. 

“How long has she been unconscious?” Asked the first man, a Togruta. He had taken off his stethoscope to listen to her heart.

“Just barely,” answered Din, “just before I opened the door.”

He looked up at Din and then blanched. “When did she give birth?” He asked.

“What?” Din asked as if it were a foreign language and not basic. He would have known if she recently gave birth to a child because they had been glued to each other’s hips for months. She would have mentioned if she had had a kid right? 

“The baby, how recently did she give birth to the baby?” He asked again, pointing to the pram that held the little green alien that they both adored.

Oh, the pram, the child. The doctor thought she had given birth to a child, their child, recently. “She didn’t, we adopted him.” He answered and saw the doctor relax considerably.

One of the other men ran a scanner over her before showing it to the doctor. “Your wife is very sick, we need to get her to the hospital and into surgery.” Said the Doctor, injecting a needle into her arm, the needle was attached to a bag of fluid.

Din paled. “What’s wrong with her?” He asked.

“Her appendix is about to burst. We need to get her into surgery now or it will get worse.” He answered, turning to his nurses and speaking in the local tongue as three of them rushed Cara away before Din could react.

He took a step, but the remaining nurse stopped him. “There is no room in the ambulance for the both of you, I will take you in my cruiser.” He said. “Your wife is the hands of the best doctor in the quadrant.” 

The ride to the hospital was a blur and when they arrived at the hospital, he was directed to a waiting room and then left alone with the pram. Din sat down on a chair and opened the lid of the pram to see the child wide eyes looking up at him with worry in his little eyes. Din picked him up and sat him on his knee. “She’ll be okay.” He said softly, rubbing out the wrinkles in his forehead. He looked up with his toothy grin and then turned his attention to the toys that were in the corner of the abandoned waiting room. Din chuckled as he sat the child on the ground to allow him to play. He had no idea what time it was, he assumed that it was late or it could have been early, it was dark outside still and it was then that he realized just how exhausted he was. 

His thoughts began to wander as he watched the kid stack the blocks and then knock them down again. His little laughter was enough to distract him from the fact that Cara was in an operating room.

Hours could have passed and he wouldn’t have had any idea, except for the child eventually climbing into his lap and eventually fell asleep sprawled out across his legs. And just when his eyes grew heavy, footsteps entered the room and he looked up to see the Togruta wearing sterile clothes standing at the door. 

“Your wife is doing good.” He said softly so that he didn’t wake the sleeping child. A huge weight came off his shoulders. Din scooped the child up in his arms and stood up stiffly. 

“Thank you.” He said, extending his hand out to shake his hand. 

He nodded and took his hand in return. “She’s a strong woman, I’m sure she will want to be back on her feet in a few hours.” He answered with a soft chuckle. His stomach dropped and Din knew that Cara didn’t sit still very well. “But we’ll keep her here for a day or two so she can rest.”

Din let go of the breath he was holding.”I appreciate it.” He imagined Cara biting his head off for even mentioning taking a rest. 

The doctor smiled again and looked at the child in his arms. “I can see why you panicked when we asked when she gave birth.” He motioned to the kid, whose sleepy eyes opened slowly to look at both men. “Definitely not a human baby.” Din could only chuckle and used his hand to smooth the wrinkles in his forehead as the baby let out a yawn. “I have never seen anything like it.”

“Neither have we,” Din answered truthfully. “We are looking for his kind.”

The Togruta nodded. “I wish you all the luck.” He answered. “Would you like to go see your wife? She should be waking up soon.”

The word wife made him almost giddy, a feeling that he was unfamiliar with and he could chalk it up to stress and lack of sleep, but he knew if he was 100% coherent, the word would make him feel the same way. 

He followed the doctor down the hall, the child had dozed off again. He was going to be a handful later. The doctor opened the door and bid his farewell as he shut the door behind them. 

The room was dark and sterile, ambient lights from the monitors that were hooked up to Cara, showing the rhythm of her heartbeat. The color had returned to her face, her eyelashes resting on her rosy cheeks. She was okay and a wave of emotion crashed over Din as he took a seat in the chair next to her, his bare hand taking hers in his and weaving her fingers within his. 

After a few moments, in the wee small hour of the morning, Din finally fell asleep.

\--

Cara woke up to footsteps.

When she opened her eyes, she realized that she was in a hospital and a nurse was standing next to her bed looking at the monitors. “How are you feeling?” She asked quietly.

Cara blinked away the heaviness. “Better than I was.” She said hoarsely.

“Your husband will be happy to hear that. He was pretty ansty when they brought you in.” The nurse said motioning past Cara to the corner. She turned her head to see Din asleep, his head rested against the wall. Her husband. She kind of liked the sound of that. “Should I wake him?”

She shook her head. “Let him sleep, gods, knows he needs it.” She answered, ignoring the little flutter in her stomach as she watched him sleep for a moment. He wore his lounge clothes, something she was sure he had done in public since he took his oath, with Bean sitting on his lap. 

The child was awake and just content to be in the arms of his father. He lit up when he realized that Cara was awake. “Hey, Bean,” Cara whispered, the boy bounced in Din’s lap and she was afraid that he would wake him. “Do you mind?” She asked the nurse, motioning to the child and the nurse nodded, quietly lifting the child from Din and placing him on the bed next to her. “Thank you.”

Bean immediately curled up against her. “I missed you too, Bean.” She said, rubbing his back as he tucked his face into her neck. “Thanks for keeping an eye on your dad while I was sick.”

He cooed, his hand gripping a lock of her hair, he was planting himself against her and nobody was going to change that. She smiled sleepily as she rubbed his back slowly, she would never admit to that she loved moments like this, with him and sometimes his dad.

Husband

Had he told them they were married to stay close? Or did they come to that conclusion all on their own as so many have in the past? 

The nurse broke her out of her thoughts. “All clear here, get some rest.” She said, squeezing her forearm. “I’ll make sure people knock before coming in, in case your husband would like to take his helmet off.”

Cara nodded her thanks as she left, that was considerate of her. It was common knowledge that nobody could see a Mandalorian without their helmet, but what Cara didn’t know was that if it was always true for families, she’d have to remember to ask him later.

Din exhaled from the corner as if something startled him awake and it was probably because he had realized the Bean was no longer on his lap. He frantically looked around for a moment until he noticed the little green boy was on the bed with her.

He was nearly breathless when he scooted his chair next to her bed. “Hey.” She said softly.

“Hey.” He answered, reaching across the rails to brush the hair off her forehead and then down her jaw to hold her gaze for a moment. “How are you feeling.”

She smiled sleepily. “Like a million credits.” She answered. “I’ve got a comfy bed and both of my boys here with me. The drugs are kind of nice too.”

That drew a small chuckle as his hand left her cheek to rub the child’s back. “I’m glad that you are okay.” He said softly. 

Cara nodded. “I’ll be up kicking ass in no time.” She teased, trying to cheer him up. That brought another chuckle from him. “And you’re not allowed to go easy on me because I just had surgery because if you do, I’ll kick your ass twice. . .”

There was a knock on the door and Din got up to open it. “Hi, I’m from the kitchen. Would you or your wife like something for breakfast?”

Cara watched him tense for just a moment before he answered. “Please, and a small portion for the child.” He turned around and took his seat next to her. She waited patiently for him to speak, but he said nothing, creating a stalemate.”What?”

“I like the sound of that.” She said with a small laugh, and then a groan, it hurt to laugh apparently.

“Sound of what?” He played coy.

“Wife.” She answered and she wished that she could see his stoic expression falter that his shoulders gave him away. “The nurse called you my husband, and I kind of liked it.”

He didn’t know what to say to that as he sat on the bed next to her. The child must have fallen back asleep because he didn’t stir. “I like that too.” He answered. “I do owe you a conversation about coming on to you, maybe when we leave we can talk, lock the little privacy monster away for a little while.”

“I’d like that very much.” She said kissing said little green monster on the top of his head. She reached up and grabbed the lip of his helmet to pull him down close enough to press a soft kiss to his helmet where his cheek would be. “Thank you for taking care of me.”

He rested his helmet against her forehead, wanting nothing more than to kiss her in return. “Always.” He said softly. “Anything for my wife.”

“Just what I like to hear.” She answered as a knock from the door broke them apart.

“BREAKFAST.” The woman waited for Din to answer the door and grab the tray of food and which he sat on Cara’s table. The smell of food was enough to wake the child up from dozing in Cara’s neck.

“We should have this conversation sooner than later,” Din said getting up to get the door. 

“Promise?” She asked with a playful glint in her eye.

“Promise.” He answered.

\--

A couple of days later they arrived back at the ship, a little slower, Cara was still sore, but incredibly restless. Din knew that keeping her in the hospital any longer was going to make her go even more stir crazy and maybe violent.

Now she sat in her chair in the co-pilot’s seat as he did the preflight checks, not allowing her to help in any capacity. “We had a deal, Dune.” He said pointing to the cockpit. She rolled her eyes but obeyed, taking the small child with her.

It wasn’t long before the ship was in atmo and the child sat on the floor behind them playing with his toys quietly on the floor. 

“Can we have that conversation now?” Cara asked, she was curled up in the seat, her head against the back of her seat watching Din fly.

He looked at her and even though she couldn’t see it, raised his brow. “Now?” He asked obviously.

Cara shrugged her shoulders. “No time like the present, I guess.” She said with a smirk. “You never know when one of your organs may go rogue.”

Din rolled his eyes and he set the ship into autopilot to turn and give her his full attention. “No, we can’t have that.”

“We should get married.” She simply. Trust her to jump in headfirst instead of beating around the proverbial bush. She was practically glowing under the ambient ship lights and he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her.

This wasn’t how he ever imagined this happening, hell he never imagined this happening, period. But with Cara, she seemed more of the type that proposed marriage in the middle of a battle when things looked the bleakest. This though was so utterly simple that he had to blink his eyes a couple of times to make sure that it was her. 

“Okay.” He extended his ungloved hand for her to take and she did, giving it a soft squeeze.

Cara’s smile softened. “Okay.”

“That’s it?” Din asked with a soft chuckle under his helmet.

“I guess.” She said with a shrug. 

The silence they fell into felt heavy with words unsaid and he couldn’t leave it at that. Especially since he was so used to an easy silence between them. He was going to fix this right now, more importantly, he wanted to be close to her. 

He got up and tugged on her hand for her to stand up. “I want to kiss you right now.” He said, his hand letting hers go to take his helmet off. She closed her eyes as if on reflex and waited for him to make the next move. His warm hands moved to frame her face and she nearly shook in anticipation.

He wanted to drag it out as long as possible, but honestly, it had been too long since he had been in a position to kiss someone. To want to kiss someone, if he was honest with himself. When was the last time he had taken his helmet off with someone in the same room and the lights on? Never probably.

All thought left him as soon as their lips met. This chaste kiss to solidify their change in relationship status heated up quickly. He moved to wrap his arms around her when she yelped in pain, Din jumped away startled. “It’s okay,” Cara said with her eyes still closed. “Just a little sore.”

“Let’s continue this conversation later,” Din said, his hands moving to cup her face to kiss her gently. It took a moment for them to break apart, he was becoming addicted to her and didn’t want to stop. 

“Promise?”

“I promise.” He said, kissing her again.


End file.
